This webpage is no longer maintained. It may be useful as background information or to provide a historical perspective on a topic or project.
DHEC encourages residents to be involved in environmental issues affecting their communities.
This can be done by reviewing information, asking questions, offering comments and attending meetings. We appreciate the unique perspective that local residents are able to provide concerning the areas where they live, work, and enjoy the outdoors.
DHEC has held multiple public meetings and hearings in an effort to keep the local community informed about activities of interest at the Pinewood Site. Additional meetings will be held as needed or upon request by local residents. Following is information from the most recent community meetings held by DHEC about the Pinewood Site.
On Thursday, April 19, 2012, DHEC held an informal public meeting at Furman Middle School. During the public meeting, DHEC staff:
- Presented an overview of the proposed on-site leachate treatment system and an update on the hazardous waste permit renewal ;
- Presented an overview of the draft air permit for the proposed on-site leachate treatment system ;
- Presented a diagram of the proposed on-site leachate treatment system;
- Provided a handout that included a map of the Pinewood Site and highlights from the meeting; and
- Answered questions from community members.
After the public meeting, a formal public hearing was held for citizens to give oral and written comments on the draft air permit for the public record.
A community meeting was held on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at Furman Middle School. At this meeting, DHEC staff discussed:
- Improvement projects undertaken at the Pinewood Site over the last two years; and
- Future plans for site management.
The community meeting included a brief presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. DHEC staff also provided a fact sheet about the Pinewood Site. At the meeting, some residents expressed concerns regarding cancer rates in Pinewood, SC. In response to these concerns, DHEC conducted a cancer assessment for ZIP code 29125 using the most recent 5-year period of available data (2004-2008). The results of this analysis indicated that slightly more deaths resulted from all cancers combined than were expected during this time period, but did not reach an alert level. No specific types of cancer deaths were higher than expected. Incidences of specific cancer types (including rare cancers) were not above the number of cases expected to occur by chance alone. The findings of this analysis are provided in the DHEC Summary of Cancer Incidence and Mortality for ZIP Code 29125 (Pinewood, SC) .
To ask questions about the Pinewood Site, please contact David Scaturo by phone at 803-898-0290 or by email at scaturdm@dhec.sc.gov .